Integration of the packaging waste utilization systems of Finland and Russian neighboring areas
This study examines the situation of energy recovery of packaging waste in Finland,packaging waste utilization in the Russian neighboring areas and the state of operational andbusiness environment of packaging waste recovery development schemes. Wastemanagement and recovery of waste materials carry current and focal problems in Finland andin Russia. Both tightening national environmental legislation under the influence of EUregulations and the need to reclaim wastes have caused the state of change in the wastemanagement field in Finland. In Russia, the situation of reclaiming waste materials is poorerand the recovery rates of waste fractions are low.Finnish energy production facilities seem to have obvious needs for replacing fossil fuels withrenewable energy sources and waste derived fuels given that the quality requirements exist.The situation with exceeding the demand and companies competing for waste derived fuels isalready foreseeable. In the sparsely populated country, the collecting of waste for recovery isalso a matter of feasibility. On the other hand, economic growth, the growing purchasingpower and the supply of consumer goods in Russia, especially in the city of St. Petersburg andLeningrad region close to the Finnish border, have a measurable effect on the volume andcomposition of generated packaging waste, now mainly disposed in landfills.The cooperative Finnish-Russian cross-border recovery of packaging waste is a potentialoption for Finnish and Russian companies to develop their businesses and promote wasterecovery. The biggest challenges in implementing new operations relate to legislativedifferences, foreign license practices and different waste management systems. In this paper,we present a theoretical model of an energy recovery scheme from the perspective of Finnishenergy production facility.